Birmingham Clean Air Zone warning as council reveals one thing hasn't changed

Birmingham City Council has revealed how one level in the city has remained the same, three years since the clean air zone was introduced

A warning has been issued three years on from Birmingham's clean air zone being introduced. Birmingham is one of several major cities which operates a clean air zone (CAZ), also known as low-emission zones.

It came into operation in 2021 with the aim of reducing the number of cars in city boundaries and improving the levels of air pollution in the West Midlands, where 2,300 people die early every year due to long term exposure to air pollution. The council has made millions of pounds from charges and fines paid by motorists.

Birmingham City Council bosses revealed this week that while the clean air zone has been successful in deterring non-compliant cars from entering city boundaries, there has been less progress with reducing the actual number of cars within Birmingham.

READ MORE: Ninety sensors to monitor air quality - and residents will be able to check levels where they live

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp

The report, published on September 19, said: "The Clean Air Zone has made progress in reducing the number of the highest polluting cars on our roads, but the data from the zone shows is that the total vehicle numbers in the city remain at similar levels to three years ago."

With this came a warning to Birmingham residents about public health and taking steps to reduce other forms of pollution like fireworks and heating. Councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, added that there is more work to be done with stopping polluting cars entering Birmingham.

The report went on: "Since launching three years ago, the Clean Air Zone has proved successful in deterring the highest-polluting vehicles from entering the city centre, with non-compliant vehicles now making up just 4.5% of the total number of vehicles entering the city compared to 15.2% in June 2021.

"With the Clean Air Zone making a positive impact in the centre of Birmingham, there is also promising progress across all areas of the city. A dedicated air quality monitoring programme of potential ‘hotspots’ in Birmingham has found that all monitored sites are within the annual mean air quality objective.

"This ongoing air quality monitoring project, which is into its third year, committed to identify any locations where concentrations of nitrogen dioxide might exceed the annual mean air quality objective." However while this is promising news for the city's overall clean air objectives, the volume of cars in Birmingham remains worryingly high.

The report confirmed that CAZ data revealed that the total vehicle numbers in the city remain at similar levels to three years ago - meaning Birmingham is still a car-heavy city. BirminghamLive has covered the work of campaigners this year who are pushing for a "state of emergency" to be declared around Birmingham's roads, and changing the culture of car usage in the city.

With 43 per cent of car journeys under two miles in Birmingham, road safety groups are pushing for more people to walk, cycle or use public transport in a bid to improve safety and reduce pollution.

Councillor Majid Mahmood echoed this, saying: “Our transport plan is clear that we need to have fewer cars on the city’s roads, but we recognise that encouraging people to give up their cars requires public and active travel infrastructure that’s up to the task – and we’re proud that the Clean Air Zone is making a difference to that end.

“The use of the revenues generated by the scheme are determined by the legislation used to create the scheme and the high-level spending priorities of the CAZ Charging Order. This means that net surplus revenues from the Clean Air Zone are feeding directly into our transport plan, enabling us to work in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority to support schemes related to active travel, that improve public transport infrastructure and manage demand in the city centre.”

He added: “While cars are by far the biggest cause of poor air quality in our city, we’re proud to highlight all ways of improving air quality from sources other than motor vehicles. For instance, we’re encouraging residents to move away from the tradition of setting off fireworks during celebrations, and to consider greener ways to heat their home. It’s all about making small changes that can make a big difference to the air we breathe.”